Doc Parker

Harley Park Parker

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 200 lb.
• School Hering Medical College
• Debut July 11, 1893
• Final Game June 21, 1901
• Born June 14, 1872 in Theresa, NY USA
• Died March 3, 1941 in Chicago, IL USA

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Biographical Information

"St. Paul was whitewashed yesterday for the first time it has been done this season, and at the close of the game the Minneapolis fans presented Dr. Harley Parker, M. D., who recently moved to that city from Grand Rapids, with a quit claim deed to the entire city. . . the young physician, who fancies the diamond more than his scalpel and materia medica, received magnificent field support." - from an article in the St. Paul Globe, August 15, 1896

The brother of Jay Parker, pitcher Doc Parker played parts of three seasons with the Chicago Cubs and later appeared in one game for the Cincinnati Reds in 1901. Away from the field, he was a doctor as well as a prominent billiards instructor and was often mentioned in press accounts of billiards contests.

He did some umpiring in indoor baseball. In 1911 he owned the Grand Rapids team in the Central League (US). He also umpired for a stretch in the American League in 1911.

Newspaper references never called him "Doc Parker", but always "Dr. Harley Parker" or "Harley Parker".

Medical Century: An International Journal of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery stated that he was an 1895 graduate of the Hering Medical College.

Related Sites

• Doc Parker at the SABR Bio Project
• Baseball History Daily story on Doc Parker